Pakistani political leader Imran Khan's party is holding talks in a bid to end protests.Source: AAP

THE party of Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan held talks with the government aimed at ending tense protests, even as it submitted the resignations of 34 politicians from parliament.

FORMER cricketer Khan and populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri have led thousands of supporters demonstrating outside the legislature this week calling for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to go.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party restarted the dialogue on Friday through contact with the governor of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, after calling off the talks a day earlier with the insistence that Sharif resign first. "The government delegation explained its point of view on our demands and our side shared its concerns on (the) government's position," PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters after the meeting, adding the next round of talks would be held on Saturday.
Khan insists the May 2013 general election, which swept Sharif to power in a landslide, was rigged, though observers rated it free and credible. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party insist he will not quit and accuse the protesters of undermining the country's fragile democracy. Qadri and Khan's protest movements are not formally allied and have different goals, beyond toppling the government. But their combined pressure - and numbers - have given extra heft to the rallies. If one group were to reach a settlement with the government and withdraw, the other's position would be significantly weakened. Qureshi also submitted the resignations of PTI lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of the federal parliament, to the house's speaker on Friday. "According to the decision of the PTI's core committee, the resignations of our members have been submitted today," Qureshi told reporters. PTI is the third largest party in the National Assembly with 34 seats. Parliamentary speaker Ayaz Sadiq told private Geo television he had already left for the day when Qureshi delivered the letters of resignation to his office, but would open them and verify the contents on Monday, ultimately triggering by-elections unless they are withdrawn.

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